To:         The Dallas Morning News
Date:      June 22, 1992
Subject: George Bush and Big Brother
Result:   not printed due to limited space

Dear Editor,

I see from a recent article that President Bush has "offered a vision of the future" in the form of a proposed computer system that would reduce the hassle of medical insurance forms to "simply running a plastic card through a reader." It sounds to me like Big Brother, Step 2.

Step 1 was the introduction of the Social Security Number. At that time there were all kinds of assurances by the proponents that the Social Security Number would never be used for anything other than Social Security. Suggestions that its use might go far beyond its original intention were pooh-poohed. But nowadays, if somebody knows your Social Security number, they can just about find out your whole life story. Anything pertaining to your medical history, or to your finances and credit, including just who have you bought things from?

The only obstacle to being able to quickly assimilate all this information on a person is the lack of an efficient computer system. That's what President Bush has now proposed.

Thank you, John Vehon